Game Report: May 26, 2007

Senior Men's First Team
Marshall Division Week 1 - Aurora Barbarians RFC 41 - Irish Canadian RC 5

And so starts the fourth season for the Aurora Barbarians in the Marshall Division of the ORU, a season that the Barbs enter as defending Marshall Champions. This season sees an interesting schedule with the opening two week against strong clubs in the Irish and the Beach, an excellent test to see how the team have developed over the last four years. In our first two seasons in the Marshall the Irish had some large wins over the Aurora "new comers" often dominating in the forwards and playing to this strength with 10 man rugby. Gradually, however, the Barbs gained experience and strength while maintaining a core of young, fast backs and mobile forwards. This maturing has resulted in a run of four consecutive league wins by the Barbs over the Irish - of course our friends at the ICRC will want to set the record straight by mentioning the 2006 McCormick Cup final, an exciting Irish win 20 -17, point taken and ``un-finished business`` for 2007 to motivate the club!!, although we know that the Irish will not hand over the Cup without another epic game.

The 2007 version of the Aurora Barbs is a continuation of the trend set-up over the last seven years, a core of seasoned vets surrounded by a large number of young, skilled, fit players. The Barbs have evolved into an expansive and exciting team building on a solid and mobile pack and excellent backs. The goal for 2007 must be to continue to develop depth and bring through many of the young players emerging from the excellent Junior programs in the Club. From day one of the club, the goal has been to be self-sufficient, and to allow players to grow and play their entire career in one club. This will inevitably pose challenges as the playing base grows and as depth increases, but competition is the basis of strength!!! And so..game on - and a disappointing start as the opening drop sailed out for a scrum back, hopefully not an omen! Worse to come as the excellent Irish flanker Mark Thompson crashed over for the opening score at 3 minutes, conversion missed - ICRC 5 Aurora 0. The Irish returned the favour by putting their kick off straight out, early season jitters!!! Finally the Barbs started to make progress and a well struck penalty moved the Barbs into the Irish 22. From the line-out the Barbs went through an excellent movement with the ball going through seven players until debutant winger Jeremy Campbell popped up on his off wing to go over in the corner for an excellent try, followed by an excellent conversion from the touchline by Dave Poettcker, Aurora 7 ICRC 5. Mr. Campbell has great promise and is an exciting athlete, a good addition to the team.

The quality of play was very high for the first game of the season with the Aurora pack matching the veteran ICRC forwards. The young Barbs back row, (Nolan Ott, Dave Nielsen and Shaun Allen, all under 24), impressed and showed promise for the future as they learn to dominate in the loose - Dave and Nolan had emerged three days earlier from a Volkswagen van epic journey from Vancouver, (tales probably left untold). The second Aurora score was a beauty - a scrum at the Irish 5 meter, Rob Ashwood to Dave P. Missed pass to outside centre Marco Di Girolamo, Marco step inside his opposite number and over near the posts for a well executed try, converted by Dave P. Aurora Barbs 14 - ICRC 5. The scores came quick and fast, Dave P., having bought his kicking boots along for the game, kicked a 30 meter penalty from straight on to open up a 12 point lead at the half, Barbs 17 ICRC 5, a good first half for the club in the first game of the season.

The second half provided the Aurora Barbs with an opportunity to run and run and run...enough good ball to set the exciting and fast backs free at every opportunity. The early indication is that this 2007 version of the Aurora pack will prove to be a vintage - the forwards have developed well over the last three seasons and have the strength to compete against all teams in the Marshall - the pack can no longer be dominated or "out-muscled" and the traditional forward strength of the Irish had minimal impact. This allowed the Barbs backs to set-up a number of exciting movements resulting in Simba Sithole, (2006 Marshall Rookie of the Year), crashing over for his first try of 2007, (hopefully the first of many as he is such an exciting open field runner).Dave P. slotted a difficult kick from the corner- ABRFC 24- 5.

The next try was a "beaut" - a ruck setup on the ICRC five meter and a thumping drive by rookie Matt Chown, and 5 points. Matt is a grad of the Barbs Junior program, via. McKenzie - always impressive in his Junior days, Matt has four years of football at Bishops and recent camps with the Alouettes and Edmonton in the CFL - he is a small lad! Only 6ft 2 ins and approx 260lbs, and clearly in need of working on his upper body strength, (Joke Matt be nice to me). He has unlimited potential in the front five, and he will receive all of Drew and Leighton's accumulated 40+ years of knowledge in the dark arts of front row play - a real discovery as he returns to club rugby. The conversion was unsuccessful, ABRFC 29 - ICRC 5.

Four minutes later Simba scored his second try, when the ball was moved quickly from a well set ruck - Simba beat his opposite winger on the outside, turned on the speed and went 45 meters for a beautiful try under the posts, conversion by Dave P., ABRFC 36 ICRC 5. It is so exciting to see a winger challenge his opposite number on the outside and rely on speed and strength, (remember Dean van Camp three seasons ago against Brampton!! Simba has the same ability, although a "smaller more compact" version of Dean the same ability to use the combination of speed and balance that is disappearing from the game - reminds your correspondents of his youthful runs of 5 - 10 meters, ah! Nostalgia).

The Aurora Coaches emptied the bench, bringing on a number of young and exciting players for the final 10 minutes, including the excellent Andrew Ziricino, a contemporary at Mckenzie and Aurora U16, U18 with Matt Chown, (again showing the long term benefits of an excellent Junior development program over the last 10 years). The final try of the day was scored by the powerful Brock Millar who crashed over after Captain Carter, (alias the new version of the free-spirited Rob Carter) had elected to forgo a three man overlap by putting up an interesting kick to the Irish 5 meter line and a maul that Brock broke from - simply put, a brick wall would not have stopped Brock, (making his 2007 debut about two to three months ahead of schedule!!) - a great effort. The conversion attempt by Andrew Z. was short and the final score was Aurora Barbs 41 Irish Canadian RC 5.

This was an excellent first game for the new season - Aurora picked up where they had left off in the 2006 Marshall - they are a mobile strong pack, an excellent and young back-row full of promise for a long future, and exciting and fast backs - a powerful combination. Over the next four months the team will develop even more as they learn to build on these strengths - the key remains continuity as the majority have now played together for three seasons with few changes in personnel - they are learning to build from strong positions.

Perhaps the most exciting feature of the 2007 Barbs is the huge potential that will develop - there are a number of young players who will emerge to challenge - Will and Kai Sorensen, Gian Montino, Andrew Ziricino and Matt Chown - all exciting when combined with excellent and long serving vets like Leighton, Marco Deej, Ivan and the established "young uns", Rob Ashwood, Nolan Ott, Simba, Shaun Allen, Dave Nielsen, Damon McLachlan, (another excellent game at full -back), Dave P....and Ollie Atkinson on his return from his French adventures and the return from long term injury for Dave Ashwood as well!! What an abundance of talent for 2007. A brief comment on our friends from the Irish - having known this great club for the last 35 years, (playing for four) never, never underestimate the Irish!! The green machine will build over the season, four months is a long time and we can be assured that they will not release the McCormick cup or the league without a fight!!

And there is the small matter of the missing three points from November 2006! But it is so much better to look to the great future rather than living on past glories (leave that for the geriatric set!!) 2007 will be an exciting season for the Aurora Barbarians RFC - as they say, stay tuned to this station.

All best to all in Ontario rugby for a great 2007 season.